Conventional assemblies and structures such as display cases and the like made of corrugated cardboard panels typically use a type of construction known as a slot and hook construction. In this type of construction, when there is a need to connect two panels one of the panels is provided with a rectangular slot and the second is provided with a hook portion. The hook portion is formed by cutting away selected areas of the edge of the panel leaving a hook portion which is an integral portion of the panel. In use, the hook portion is inserted into the slot thereby connecting the two panels.
The conventional construction is subject to numerous deficiencies among which is the inherent weakness of the hook portions. After several cycles of assembly, disassembly, storage and reassembly of a display case using the conventional hook and slot construction, the hook portions tend to weaken and tear thereby rendering the entire display case unusable. An additional disadvantage of the conventional method of construction is related to the method of fabrication of the hook portions. Each hook portion is formed on the edge of a panel by cutting away selected portions of the panel edge. This results in a significant portion of the corrugated panel material being wasted as scrap.